1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display. More particularly, the invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a driving method thereof that improve the efficiency of a liquid crystal display device as well as reduce manufacturing costs.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A liquid crystal display (LCD) controls a light transmittance of a liquid crystal using an electric field to display a picture.
As shown in FIG. 1, the LCD includes a liquid crystal display panel 2 having liquid crystal cells arranged in a matrix, a gate driver 6 for driving gate lines GL1 to GLn of the liquid crystal display panel 2, a data driver 4 for driving data lines DL1 to DLm of the liquid crystal display panel 2, and a timing controller 8 for controlling the gate driver 6 and the data driver 4.
The liquid crystal display panel 2 also includes a thin film transistor TFT located at each crossing between the gate lines GL1 to GLn and the data lines DL1 to DLm, and a liquid crystal cell 7 connected to the thin film transistor TFT. The thin film transistor TFT is turned on when it is supplied with a scanning signal, that is, a gate high voltage VGH from the gate line GL, to apply a pixel signal from the data line DL to the liquid crystal cell 7. Further, the thin film transistor TFT is turned off when it is supplied with a gate low voltage VGL from the gate line GL, to thereby keep a pixel signal charged in the liquid crystal cell 7.
The liquid crystal cell 7 may be equivalently represented as a liquid crystal capacitor. The liquid crystal cell 7 includes a pixel electrode connected with a common electrode and a thin film transistor with a liquid crystal therebetween. Further, the liquid crystal cell 7 includes a storage capacitor to maintain the charged pixel signal until the next pixel signal is applied. This storage capacitor is provided between the pixel electrode and the pre-stage gate line. Such a liquid crystal cell 7 varies an alignment state of the liquid crystal having a dielectric anisotropy in accordance with a pixel signal charged through the thin film transistor TFT to control a light transmittance, thereby implementing gray scale levels.
The timing controller 8 generates gate control signals (i.e., gate start pulse (GSP), gate shift clock (GSC) and gate output enable (GOE)) and data control signals (i.e., source start pulse (SSP), source shift clock (SSC), source output enable (SOE) and polarity control (POL)) using synchronizing signals V and H supplied from a video card (not shown). The gate control signals (i.e., GSP, GSC and GOE) are applied to the gate driver 6 to control the gate driver 6 while the data control signals (i.e., SSP, SSC, SOE and POL) are applied to the data driver 4 to control the data driver 4. Further, the timing controller 8 aligns red (R), green (G) and blue (B) pixel data VD and applies the pixel data to the data driver 4.
The gate driver 6 sequentially drives the gate lines GL1 to GLn. To this end, the gate driver 6 includes a plurality of gate integrated circuits (ICs) 10 as shown in FIG. 2A. The gate ICs 10 sequentially drive the gate lines GL1 to GLn connected thereto under the control of the timing controller 8. Specifically, the gate ICs 10 sequentially apply a gate high voltage VGH to the gate lines GL1 to GLn in response to the gate control signals (i.e., GSP, GSC and GOE) from the timing controller 8.
More specifically, the gate driver 6 shifts a gate start pulse GSP in response to a gate shift clock GSC to generate a shift pulse. Then, the gate driver 6 applies a gate high voltage VGH to the corresponding gate line GL every horizontal period in response to the shift pulse. The shift pulse is shifted line-by-line every horizontal period, and any one of the gate ICs 10 applies the gate high voltage VGH to the corresponding gate line GL to correspond with the shift pulse. The gate ICs supplies a gate low voltage VGL in the remaining interval for the particular gate line when the gate high voltage VGH is not supplied to the gate lines GL1 to GLn.
The data driver 4 applies pixel signals for each one line to the data lines DL1 to DLm every horizontal period. To this end, the data driver 4 includes a plurality of data ICs 16 as shown in FIG. 2B. The data ICs 16 apply pixel signals to the data lines DL1 to DLm in response to data control signals (i.e., SSP, SSC, SOE and POL) from the timing controller 8. The data ICs 16 convert pixel data VD from the timing controller 8 to analog pixel signals using a gamma voltage from a gamma voltage generator (not shown).
The data ICs 16 shift a source start pulse SSP in response to a source shift clock SSC to generate sampling signals. Then, the data ICs 16 sequentially latch the pixel data VD for a certain unit in response to the sampling signals. Thereafter, the data ICs 16 convert the latched pixel data VD for one line to analog pixel signals, and applies the signals to the data lines DL1 to DLm in an enable interval of a source output enable signal SOE. The data ICs 16 convert the pixel data VD to positive or negative pixel signals in response to a polarity control signal POL.
As shown in FIG. 3, each of the data ICs 16 includes a shift register part 34 for applying sequential sampling signals, a latch part 36 for sequentially latching the pixel data VD in response to the sampling signals from the shift register part 34 to output them simultaneously, a digital to analog converter (DAC) 38 for converting the pixel data VD from the latch part 36 to pixel voltage signals, and an output buffer part 46 for buffering pixel voltage signals from the DAC 38 to output them. Further, the data IC 16 includes a signal controller 20 for interfacing various control signals (i.e., SSP, SSC, SOE, REV and POL, etc.) from the timing controller 8 and the pixel data VD, and a gamma voltage part 32 for supplying positive and negative gamma voltages required for the DAC 38.
The signal controller 20 controls various control signals (i.e., SSP, SSC, SOE, REV and POL, etc.) from the timing controller 8 and the pixel data VD in such a manner to be output to the corresponding elements.
The gamma voltage part 32 sub-divides a plurality of gamma reference voltages input from a gamma reference voltage generator (not shown) for each gray level to output them.
Shift registers included in the shift register part 34 sequentially shift a source start pulse SSP from the signal controller 20 in response to a source sampling clock signal SSC to output it as a sampling signal.
The latch part 36 sequentially samples the pixel data VD from the signal controller 20 for a time period in response to the sampling signals from the shift register part 34 to latch them. The latch part 36 is comprised of i latches (wherein i is an integer) so as to latch i pixel data VD, and each of the latches has a dimension corresponding to the bit number of the pixel data VD. Particularly, the timing controller 8 divides the pixel data VD into even pixel data VDeven and odd pixel data VDodd so as to reduce a transmission frequency, and simultaneously outputs the data through each transmission line. Herein, each of the even pixel data VDeven and the odd pixel data VDodd includes red (R), green (G) and blue (B) pixel data. Thus, the latch part 36 simultaneously latches the even pixel data VDeven and the odd pixel data VDodd supplied via the signal controller 20 for each sampling signal. Then, the latch part 36 simultaneously outputs i latched pixel data VD in response to a source output enable signal SOE from the signal controller 20.
The latch part 36 restores pixel data VD modulated such that the transition bit number is reduced in response to a data inversion selection signal REV to output them. The timing controller 8 modulates the pixel data VD, such that the number of transition bits are minimized using a reference value to determine whether the bits should be inserted or not. This minimizes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) upon data transmission due to a minimal number of bit transitions from LOW to HIGH or HIGH to LOW.
The DAC 38 simultaneously converts the pixel data VD from the latch part 36 into positive and negative pixel voltage signals to output them. To this end, the DAC 38 includes a positive (P) decoding part 40 and a negative (N) decoding part 42 commonly connected to the latch part 36, and a multiplexer (MUX) part 44 for selecting output signals of the P decoding part 40 and the N decoding part 42.
The n P decoders included in the P decoding part 40 convert n pixel data input simultaneously from the latch part 36 into positive pixel voltage signals using positive gamma voltages from the gamma voltage part 32. The i N decoders included in the N decoding part 42 convert i pixel data input simultaneously from the latch part 36 into negative pixel voltage signals using negative gamma voltages from the gamma voltage part 32. The i multiplexers included in the multiplexer part 44 selectively output the positive pixel voltage signals from the P decoder 40 or the negative pixel voltage signals from the N decoder 42 in response to a polarity control signal POL from the signal controller 20.
The i output buffers included in the output buffer part 46 are comprised of voltage followers, etc. connected, in series, to the respective i data lines DL1 to DLi. Such output buffers buffer pixel voltage signals from the DAC 38 to apply them to the data lines DL1 to DLi.
Such a related art LCD differentiates output channels of the data ICs 16 included in the data driver 4 based upon a resolution type of the liquid crystal display panel 2. This is because the data ICs 16 have certain channels that are connected to the data lines DL for each resolution type of the liquid crystal display panel 2. Thus, problems arise in that a different number of data ICs 16 having different output channels for each resolution type of the liquid crystal display panel 2 need to be used. This reduces working efficiency and increases manufacturing cost.
More specifically, for a liquid crystal display having a resolution of an eXtended Graphics Array (XGA) class (i.e., 1024×3) with 3072 data lines DL, it requires four data ICs 16, each of which has 768 data output channels. For a liquid crystal display having a resolution of a Super eXtended Graphics Adapter+ (SXGA+) class (i.e., 1400×3) with 4200 data lines DL, it requires six data ICs 16, each of which has 702 data output channels. In this case, the remaining 12 data output channels are treated as dummy lines. For a liquid crystal display having a resolution of a Wide eXtended Graphics Array (WXGA) class (i.e., 1280×3) with 3840 data lines DL, it requires six data ICs 16, each of which has 642 data output channels. In this case, the remaining 12 data output channels are treated as dummy lines. As mentioned above, a different data ICs 16 having a specific number of output channels have to be used for each resolution type of the liquid crystal display panel 2. As a result, the related art liquid crystal display has a drawback in that a working efficiency is reduced and manufacturing cost is increased.